CIRCA 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.

Details

NINE WESTERN ASIATIC GOLD BEADS
CIRCA 3RD MILLENNIUM B.C.
Of biconical form in graduating size
5/8 in. (1.5 cm.) wide max.

Provenance

Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 14 December 1987, lot 61.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 23-24 April 1997, lot 604.
Private collection, England.

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Lot Essay

These beads probably either once formed a necklace or were elements of a sceptre or staff. Such groups are usually found in stone or terracotta; the use of gold is extremely rare and most likely indicates a royal or noble heritage (see exhibition catalogue, In Pursuit of the Absolute, Art of the Ancient World from the George Ortiz collection, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1994, no. 27 for a very similar group).

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